Europe : NXT plc confirms that Japan’s leading mobile phone network operator, NTT DoCoMo, Inc., has announced it will start selling the world’s first SoundVu enabled handset to Japanese consumers on 5 February 2005.

The N506iS handset incorporates NXT’s SoundVu technology, whereby the flat panel display also functions as a speaker. Offering a larger sonic sweetspot than handsets that use conventional loudspeakers, the N506iS’s flat panel speaker provides users with an enhanced audio and listening experience during voice calls. For multimedia services and gaming applications it adds another dimension to the experience with a wide field of sound.

The N506iS includes the 180-degree display "reverse style™" rotation feature as well as the "shuttlekey™" function that enables telephoning, e-mailing and browsing after the handset has been opened, rotated and then closed again.

The handset makes it easy to take pictures because any of the 0 to 9 dial buttons can be used as shutter buttons. In addition, the 1.3 mega pixel camera can be activated and operated even when the handset is in the rotated position.

Furthermore, the handset offers TV hookup capability for viewing of photos and video. Other functions include an optical character reader that allows storage of information from business cards written in Japanese to the phone's address book, as well as dictionary searches for unfamiliar words. The N506iS is available in three colour combinations, red and black, white and silver, and blue and silver.

NXT’s CEO, David Pearson, commented, “we are delighted that this product is going to be available to Japanese consumers so soon after NTT DoCoMo’s first announcement. The N506iS represents a genuine advance in the mobile phone market, underlining the benefits available to users by incorporating SoundVu technology into a handset.”